The present invention relates to electronic price label (EPL) systems, and more specifically to an electronic price label and method of graphically displaying relative information by an electronic price label.
EPL systems typically include a plurality of EPLs for merchandise items in a transaction establishment. EPLs typically display the price of corresponding merchandise items on store shelves and are typically attached to a rail along the leading edge of the shelves. A transaction establishment may contain thousands of EPLs to display the prices of the merchandise items. The EPLs are coupled to a central server from where information about the EPLs is typically maintained in an EPL data file. Price information displayed by the EPLs is obtained from a price look-up (PLU) data file and stored within an EPL price change record.
EPLs typically include liquid crystal displays (LCDs) for displaying information. A typical EPL may include an LCD capable of displaying a minimum of eight characters of alphanumeric text information. Each character includes a number of segments which are turned on or off to generate a character. EPLs may also include icons for displaying limited amounts of graphical information about a product.
In order to obtain a competitive advantage, retailers must effectively market their products and have access to information about their products. For example, inventory and sales figures are important in running a retail business. The type and frequency of information may vary based upon job description. A stock person typically needs xe2x80x9cdaily quantities soldxe2x80x9d information. A person placing orders needs another type of information, xe2x80x9cwhat is in stockxe2x80x9d and xe2x80x9cwhat is on orderxe2x80x9d information. A manager needs another type of information, xe2x80x9chow does this item rank against othersxe2x80x9d information.
Access to employee-directed competitive information is typically available only through a centralized in-store computer. Thus, to determine business information about items, employees get the information directly from the computer or from reports generated by the computer.
Therefore, it would be desirable to display competitive, promotional, and other relative information anywhere in a transaction establishment through an electronic price label system.
In accordance with the teachings of the present invention, an electronic price label and method of graphically displaying relative information by an electronic price label is provided.
The electronic price label includes a liquid crystal display and control circuitry. The liquid crystal display includes a first portion for displaying employee-directed business information and a second portion for displaying price information. The first portion includes a plurality of segments arranged linearly as a relative scale for displaying the employee-directed business information. The control circuitry receives the employee-directed business information, determines a number of adjacent segments in the first portion to be activated based upon the employee-directed business information, and activates the number of adjacent segments.
The method of displaying employee-directed business information by an electronic price label includes receiving a message containing the employee-directed business information from a computer by control circuitry within the electronic price label, storing the employee-directed business information in a memory within the electronic price label by the control circuitry, determining a number of adjacent linearly-arranged segments to be activated in a first portion of a liquid crystal display within the electronic price label for displaying employee-directed business information based upon the employee-directed business information, and activating the determined number of adjacent segments.
It is accordingly an object of the present invention to provide an electronic price label and method of graphically displaying relative information about a product associated with an electronic price label by the electronic price label.
It is another object of the present invention to provide a system and method of graphically displaying relative information about a product associated with an electronic price label by the electronic price label.
It is another object of the present invention to provide a system and method of graphically displaying competitive information about a product associated with an electronic price label by the electronic price label.
It is another object of the present invention to provide a system and method of graphically displaying promotional information about a product associated with an electronic price label by the electronic price label.
It is another object of the present invention to provide a system and method of graphically displaying relative information about a product which include the capability to change the level and the information to be displayed.